Brief:

Conversion o' Lansbergen Delta II t' fly on 18mm motors. T' particular Delta II that I chose t' model be Delta 7920-8 247, matey, launcher o' t' solar observation satellite ACE. Avast, me proud beauty! Aye aye! T' plans are available on t' Caltech web site.

Modifications:

T' model is a 10 page PDF file. Aye aye! I printed t' 3 pages o' instructions on regular paper, t' 3 sheets o' boosters be printed on 65lb cardstock, and t' remainin' pages were printed on 110lb cardstock. Well, blow me down! For t' main tubes, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, I used full width tabs so t' body was double thickness. Arrr! Well, blow me down! It turned out that BT-50 body tube was perfect for t' couplers. Well, blow me down! I made an 18mm engine mount with CR2050P centerin' rings. Arrr! T' rings were spaced t' exactly line up with t' booster mountin' holes. T' body sections were joined and t' motor mount was glued in. Begad! Holes were drilled through t' booster mountin' holes and almost through t' centerin' rings. 18 dowels made from round toothpicks were cut t' 5/8" each and glued into t' booster mountin' holes. Arrr! T' booster tubes were rolled double thickness and t' holes on t' booster were opened up. I poked a pin through t' hole location and open them up with a round toothpick. T' booster tubes were glued onto t' dowels with t' dowel goin' all t' way t' t' opposite inside wall and glued there. Avast, me proud beauty! T' booster nose cones and exhaust nozzles were rolled and attached. Boosters 4, 5, and 6 have a larger exhaust nozzle so take care when attachin' them. Aye aye! T' main nose cone was rolled and a nose cone shoulder was rolled from double thickness 110lb stock. Ahoy! I made t' shoulder 1" long so thar would be plenty o' room for nose weight. Avast, me proud beauty! I used a standard paper shock cord mount on each end o' t' 36" shock cord. I used a 12" chute made from a plastic table cloth. Ya scallywag! I didn't know where t' CG should be so I took an educated guess and balanced it just forward o' t' boosters. Well, blow me down! I then did a swin' test and it turned out that it was stable at that balance point. Aye aye! I put a C6-5 into t' mount and added enough clay t' t' nose t' brin' t' balance point back t' t' previously determined location. It took .7oz o' clay t' balance which brought t' all up weight t' 2.0 oz. Begad! Arrr! A couple o' coats o' clear were sprayed on and it was done. Avast! Blimey!

Construction:

T' followin' is a list o' materials that I used in t' construction.

Finishing:

Everythin' be pre-printed and only a couple coats o' clear were required.

Flight:

Based on t' weight, ya bilge rat, I determined that an A8-3, ya bilge rat, B6-4, ya bilge rat, or C6-5 would be appropriate. Arrr! T' day o' t' first launch be as ideal a day as one could ask for: sunny blue skies, temperature in t' 70's, and almost a complete lack o' wind with occasional gusts t' 5mph or less. Arrr! I chose a B6-4 for t' first flight. Avast! T' motor mount has an engine hook so no tape was needed. I used "dog barf" for wadding. I was a little apprehensive because o' t' lack o' fins but t' flight was perfectly straight. Avast! Blimey! T' rocket was easy t' follow and ejection was just about at apogee.

Recovery:

T' recovery on t' 12" chute be slightly faster than I would have liked considerin' all t' boosters stickin' out. Begad! It was flown in a corn field and it happened t' hit a corn stalk upon landin' and knocked one o' t' boosters loose. Ya scallywag! T' damage was minor and was easily repaired. Ahoy! I didn't fix it until I got home so I could inspect all t' booster attachments. Begad! T' rest were all solid. Begad! I think I will switch t' a 14" chute for t' next flight.

Summary:

I am really happy with t' end result. Ahoy! Blimey! T' rocket was nay difficult t' build for anyone with a little cardstock modelin' experience. Aye aye! Blimey! Blimey! T' price be right (read: free), and when completed, you have a good representation o' a rocket that is nay often modeled.